TAG Film Review

What do you get when you watch a film about five men who’ve not stopped playing the game of tag for 30 years? Non-stop laughs and a whole lot of cringe-worthy moments. At least, that’s what I thought of the recently released comedy, TAG.

The film, directed by Jeff Tomsic, follows a group of five highly competitive friends, who for thirty years during the entire month of May, risk it all to take one another down. However, despite numerous attempts, four of the five friends, Hoagie (Ed Helms), Reggie (Lil Rel Howery), Chilli (Jake Johnson) and Bob (John Hamm) have never been able to tag their friend, Jerry (Jeremy Renner), a tag champion who has managed to dodge every single attempt. This year however, the month of May happens to be the month in which Jerry is getting married and so the four pals decide that it would be their one chance to get the drop on Jerry and finally tag the un-taggable.

The film is a laid back comedy that doesn’t require its audience to pay too much attention or concentrate on it. Instead, it’s the kind of film that viewers can sit back, relax and enjoy without investing too much.

The characters were all hilarious. Hoagie, Reggie, Chilli and Bob were exactly what four friends should be like and the dynamic between them made for an entertaining watch. However, Hoagie’s wife, Anna (Isla Fisher) was too intense and incredibly predictable, as Isla Fisher is in all her films, which was a bit of a put off in my opinion. Similarly, Jeremy Renner’s acting was just so cheesy and cringe-worthy that it felt incredibly tough to take him seriously. You’ll understand what I mean when you watch the film.

Character development certainly wasn’t the priority in the film, an element that I particularly enjoy seeing. I suppose with films of this kind, character development isn’t really needed and not having each of the characters grow throughout the film wasn’t a deterrent to me laughing to the point of tears when watching the film.

The humour was slapstick, which can be both a good thing or a bad thing depending on your sense of humour. I, particularly, found many of the outrageous antics of the four friends in trying to tag Jerry, absolutely laugh-out-loud funny. This was more due to the fact that I was watching four adult men putting their relationships, jobs and essentially, their lives, on the line all to tag a man who cannot be tagged. It’s beyond bizarre.

Interestingly, they are people who do these things in the world, as the film later explains that the story is actually based on true events. I couldn’t believe it and for the life of me, couldn’t understand the appeal of playing tag well into adulthood, but hey, anything that makes me laugh these days is wholeheartedly welcome.

TAG is a simple, over-exaggerated comedy that will have you chuckling away in your seat as you witness some of the most ridiculous antics and methods used by the four friends. While it’s comedic, it certainly has a feel good nature and leaves viewers feeling rather nostalgic about their own childhood and friendships. If you’re looking for a film that doesn’t require too much concentration and will still leave you entertained, then I’d recommend TAG.